Hanukkah

Judah Maccabee The story of Judah Maccabee begins in a little town called Modin. The town is about twenty miles from Jerusalem. Judah was one of five boys. He, and his brothers John, Simon, Eleazar and Jonathan worked the land in the foothills of the highlands of Judah. Judah’s father Mattathias was a wise and pious man who loved God and his country. He lived by the law of the Scriptures, and he and his sons worshipped in the village synagogue. They were faithful to the traditions of their people. Occasionally, Mattathias and his sons would journey to the city of Jerusalem, to the great Temple on Mount Moriah. A beautiful lamp burned in the Temple and was tended by the priests. They would never allow the light of the lamp to go out for it was a symbol of the people's faith and their dedication to Judaism. A New Ruler When Judah and his brothers had grown to young men, the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphany came to the throne. He was an ambitious man who dreamed of building an empire just as Alexander the Great had done a hundred and fifty years before. He began to make changes in the laws governing Jerusalem and the Jewish people. Antiochus built alters to the Greek god Zeus everywhere. He even placed one in the Temple in Jerusalem. Before this time the Jewish people had been allowed to worship their god and follow the ways of their religion. Antiochus, however, did not understand the Jewish god, nor did he like the strength and independence of the Jewish people. He decided to replace the Jewish god with the Greek god, Zeus. He demanded that all people under his rule abandon their own traditions and ideas, and accept Greek beliefs and culture. Many Jews accepted Greek ideas. They saw it as progress and an easy way to avoid conflict. Other Jews, like Mattathias and his sons, refused to deny their god or their culture, no matter what the price. The Temple Forgotten One day, Mattathias and his son Judah went to the Temple in Jerusalem. Judah felt sad when he saw what had become of the beautiful Temple. The gold leaves, that had once adorned the facade, had been stripped away. The beautiful fabrics, that once hung within the Temple doors, had been torn off and sold. Even the holy vessels had been used and thrown around, and there, on the altar, stood a likeness of the god Zeus. There was, however, something even more disturbing. The lamp of the Temple stood cold and dead, its wick black and dry. The oil had run out and no one had bothered to refill it. Mattathias bowed his head in shame. “My people forsake their god,” he murmured as they began the journey back to Modin. Mattathias, the father of Judah Maccabee, was a well respected Jewish priest. Mattathias Makes a Stand A few days later, Mattathias and Judah made their way, as usual, to their village synagogue. As they arrived, an officer of the king came galloping through the streets. “You there! Priest,” he cried to Mattathias, his horse pawing the dusty ground. A crowd began to gather. “You will be the first to sacrifice to the great god Zeus,” shouted the officer. Mattathias stood in shock and disbelief. “You ask me to sacrifice to a pagan god? Never,” he cried. “Never will I bow down to your false gods. I would rather die than break the holy covenant.” “Any person who chooses to worship the god of the Jews will be killed, old man,” the officer shouted in anger. Judah began to fear for their safety. When Mattathias refused to obey the order, one of his countrymen stepped forward to offer a sacrifice. Mattathias was enraged. He ran forward and struck the man, killing him. He then turned and struck a fatal blow to the officer's head. Grabbing Judah by his shoulder, he made his way through the village to his home. The Maccabees in Exile So it was that Mattathias and his family were forced into exile. That night they gathered their belongings and headed off towards the caves, high up in the mountains. There, the enemy would never find them, and they would be able to worship God without fear of death. Slowly, over the next few months, Judah Maccabee gathered about him a great number of Jews whose loyalty to the laws of Judaism had not died. These men made the decision to stand against Antiochus and the oppression of the Jewish people. They looked to Judah for advice, and he encouraged them in the religious beliefs that bound them together as a race. “It is our faith in the one true God,” he would say, “that will lead us to victory over those who try to oppress us.” The People Fight Back Soon Judah was the leader of a small, but brave and determined, band of men. However, they were not trained for war. Most of these men were farmers, teachers, and craftsmen. However, their love of liberty bound them together into a strong resistance army. For two years they fought the people who tried to control them. They made their base among the rocks and caves of the Judean wilderness. They knew the land well and this gave them a great advantage over the Syrian soldiers. They attacked from the hills, under cover of night. They led the enemy into traps where they surrounded and attacked them. Judah Maccabee had far fewer men than the enemy but his knowledge of the country allowed him to organize surprise attacks. Soon the attacks of the Maccabees were wreaking havoc and mayhem wherever there was oppression of the Jewish religion. After many battles, the way was finally clear for them to enter Jerusalem and reclaim the city that was rightfully theirs. The Temple Rededicated Judah knew that his first task was to rededicate the Temple. He gathered the priests and holy men and ordered them to cleanse the Temple. When this was done, Judah entered the Temple and looked about him. There was a sense of calmness. However, one thing remained to be done and that was the lighting of the holy lamp. “There is only enough holy oil for one day here,” said Judah with great sadness. “It will take many days for the new oil to be prepared according to the religious rules.” The Hanukkah menorah has eight branches to symbolize the eight days that the Temple lamp burned, and a center light with which to light the other eight. So Judah knelt before the altar and asked for a blessing so that the lamp would remain lit. Sure enough, the lamp burned for eight days and eight nights, long enough for the new oil to be ready. Some say it even got brighter with each day. The soft glow flooded the Temple; the lamp a symbol of the Jewish faith. Hanukkah Those eight days and nights came to be celebrated with an annual festival. Ever since, Jewish people all over the world have celebrated this event. During the festival of Hanukkah you will see a lighted menorah, symbolizing the Temple lamp that burned for eight days.

Opposing Groups Within the country, however, there was much discontent. It was during this period that groups of Jews began to emerge with differing opinions about the Torah. There were many religious movements, but three appeared more powerful than the rest. Two of these groups directly opposed each other. On the one hand, there were the Pharisees (FAH rih sees), supported by the scribes; on the other, there were the Sadducees (SADJ uh sees). There was also a third group that kept themselves separate from the rest. These were the Essenes. During this time both Pharisees and Sadducees led revolts against the rulers. Unrest was widespread within the country. However, there was a far greater threat at hand. News arrived in Jerusalem that the Roman army had entered Syria. This event was to change the course of history for Judea. The Arrival of the Romans In 63 B.C.E., Pompey, the greatest Roman general of his day, seized Jerusalem, slaughtered many of the people, and took control of Judea. The Jews once more had lost their liberty and Judea came under the rule of Rome.

BLESSINGS

The Candles — The First Blessing Praised are You, Our God, Ruler of the universe, Who made us holy through Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hannukah lights.
The Second Blessing Praised are You, Our God, Ruler of the universe, Who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors in those ancient days at this season.
The Third Blessing Praised are You, Our God, Ruler of the the universe, Who has given us life and sustained us and enabled us to reach this season.

 Hanukkah Gelt

Savings bonds, checks, and small chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil-these are the modern incarnations of the traditional gift known as Hanukkah gelt. “Gelt” is a Yiddish term for “money.”

Although it is an old and cherished custom, the roots of gelt – giving go back much further than the Middle Ages, the era in which the custom is usually said to have originated. Even though it is not mentioned in neither the Talmud nor the Shulhan Arukh (the Code of Jewish Law), the importance of coins in the history of the Hasmonean period is undeniable.

The First Book of Maccabees records that in 142 B.C.E., 22 years after the Temple was recaptured, Simon the Maccabee, the surviving son of Mattathias, finally brought independence to Judea. Syria’s King Antiochus VII declared to Simon: “I turn over to you the right to make your own stamp for coinage for your country.” (I Maccabees 15:6) The ability to mint its own coins was a concrete expression of the newly-won independence of the Jewish people.

During the following years of the Hasmonean dynasty, the first Jewish coins in history were issued. Most depicted cornucopia, symbolic of the prosperity of the country during these years. One of the coins minted by the last of the Hasmonean kings, Antigonus Matityahu (40-37 B.C.E.), portrayed the seven-branched menorah on one side and the Table of Shew Bread on the other, both symbols of the restored Temple. Some scholars conjecture that these designs may actually have been intended to remind the people of Hanukkah, which had been neglected during the waning years of the Hasmonean dynasty.

When the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E., Jewish coinage ceased until modem times, except for a brief period during the Bar Kochba Revolution (132-135 C.E.). So, no Jewish coins were available to distribute when the custom of Hanukkah gelt – giving emerged as an important part of the festival during the Middle Ages. Then, it was traditional to give Hanukkah gelt to the local Jewish teacher; in fact, it was his primary means of support. When the tradition was expanded to include giving coins to children, it became a way to emphasize the importance of Jewish education and the study of Torah.

Since the founding of the State of Israel, Jewish coinage has become a fascinating part of numismatics worldwide. In 1958, the Bank of Israel initiated a program of striking special commemorative coins for use as Hanukkah gelt. In a brilliantly conceived move to link the modern world with the ancient history of our people, the first Hanukkah coin portrayed exactly the same menorah that had appeared on the Last Maccabean coins of Antigonus Matityahu, 1,998 years earlier. Each year since 1958 (except 1964-71), the Hanukkah gelt coin has honored a different Jewish community around the world. In 1972, a silver coin was struck showing a 20th century Russian menorah, a rather clear message to the world about Soviet Jewry. On the 200th anniversary of the United States' Declaration of Independence, the 1976 Hanukkah coin featured a colonial American menorah. Other issues through the years have featured Menorahs from many different lands where Jews have lived.

Whatever your source for Hanukkah gelt, it is always a wonderful tradition to put some of what you receive into a tzedakah box in order to share your good fortune with those in need or for a good cause.

Hanukkah Food

A favorite Hanukkah food is latkes,or potato pancakes. Originally, the pancakes were made of cheese. From the custom of eating cheese delicacies grew the custom of eating pancakes of all kinds.

During the Middle Ages, Jews explained this custom by connecting it with the story of Judith which they linked with the story of Hanukkah.

Judith, according to legend, was a daughter of the Hasmoneans. She fed cheese to the leader of the enemies of the Jews. He was made thirsty by the cheese and began to drink much wine. When he grew quite drunk she cut off his head. For this reason, it was said, Jews eat cheese delicacies on Hanukkah.

Potato Latkes

We eat latkes (potato pancakes) because they are cooked in oil and thus remind us of the miracle of the single cruse [pitcher of oil]. Rabbi Solomon Freehof, a great contemporary Jewish scholar, has hypothesized that the eating of latkes may have grown out of an old custom of eating milchig (dairy) foods on Hanukkah. Milchig foods evolved into milchig pancakes and then into latkes, possibly because the main potato crop became available about the time of Hanukkah. No one knows for certain how the association began, but for anyone who feasts on latkes at Hanukkah time, a historical rationale is unnecessary.

12 large potatoes, grated
3 medium onions, grated
4 eggs, beaten lightly
5 tbs. flour
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Oil for deep frying

The secret to great latkes is to remove as much liquid from the potatoes and onions as possible. Put the grated potatoes in a clean tea towel and squeeze the liquid out of the mixture. Do the same for the grated onions. Combine all the ingredients and mix them together well by hand. In a heavy skillet, put a 3/4" deep layer of oil. Heat until sizzling. Form individual pancakes by hand and carefully slide into the pan using a slotted spatula. Fill the pan, but leave room between the pancakes. When the latkes are nicely browned on one side, turn carefully and cook until browned on the other side and crisp on the edges. Remove with a spatula and place on paper towels. Let the excess grease drain onto the paper towel. Serve immediately for the best taste. You can keep the latkes hot in a warm oven. Serve with sour cream or applesauce, or sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Hanukkah Dough Balls

1 cup apple juice
4 oz. margarine (1 stick)
oil for frying
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Boil apple juice and add margarine stirring until melted. Keeping the pan on the burner, add flour until mixture forms a ball and doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan. Remove from burner and beat in eggs one at a time. Heat the oil in a deep fryer, wok, or large frying pan. Once oil is hot, the dough can be dropped by teaspoons into hot oil. Fry until golden brown making sure that the dough balls puff and are cooked evenly. Remove from oil with strainer and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with assorted dips: cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, heated raspberry preserves, hot chocolate sauce, hot honey and chopped nuts, heated marmalade with shredded coconut.

Marshmellow Dreidels

1 marshmallow
Icing
1 Hershey’s kiss
1 3" licorice stick or toothpick

Assemble dreidel by pushing the licorice stick or toothpick through the marshmallow. Attach the chocolate kiss to the marshmallow with some Icing. Use the remainder of the icing to write the letters nun, gimel, hei, and shin on each side of the marshmallow. It may not spin well, but it sure does taste good!

Sufganiyot

1 package dry yeast
4 tbs. sugar
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, separated
2 tbs. butter, softened
apricot or strawberry preserves
vegetable oil
sugar

Mix together the yeast, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and the milk. Let sit to make sure it bubbles. Sift the flour and mix it with the remaining sugar, salt, cinnamon, egg yolks, and the yeast mixture.

Knead the dough until it forms a ball. Add the butter or margarine. Knead some more, until the butter is well absorbed. Cover with a towel and let rise overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut the dough into 24 rounds with a juice glass, or any object about 2 inches in diameter. Take 1/2 teaspoon of preserves and place in center of 12 rounds. Top with the other 12. Press down at edges, sealing with egg whites. Crimping with the thumb and second finger is best. Let rise for about 30 minutes.

Heat 2 inches of oil to about 375 degrees. Drop the doughnuts into the hot oil, about 5 at a time. Turn to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Roll the doughnuts in sugar.

From All about Jewish Holidays and Customsby Morris Epstein. Reprinted with permission.

Hanukkah Menorah

Menorah is a Hebrew word meaning "candelabrum." In relation to Hanukkah, it refers to the nine-branched ceremonial lamp in which the Hanukkah candles are placed and then blessed.

The menorah originated as a religious symbol in biblical times. The Torah records how the great artist Bezalel fashioned a seven-branched menorah for the desert tabernacle in fulfillment of a Divine commandment (Exodus 25:31-40; 37:17-24). Such a seven-branched menorah adorned the Temple in Jerusalem and was carried away by the Roman legions at the time of its destruction in 70 C.E. While the Roman Empire has long since vanished, a seven-branched menorah stands before the Knesset building in Israel, yet another tangible reminder of the indestructibility of the Jewish people.

The nine-branched Hanukkah menorah was a modification of the biblical model and seems to have originated in the first century C.E. It had eight branches, one for each day of the holiday, and a ninth branch for the shamash or “servant” light.

In ancient times, oil was used in the menorah. Over time, candles were substituted for the oil. Interestingly, some scholars believe that the use of small candles for the menorah was a deliberate choice, designed to distinguish Hanukkah lights from Christian votive candles. Except in times of religious persecution, the menorah was placed outside the front door or, as is the custom today, displayed in the window of every Jewish home.

Excerpt fromThe Jewish Home. Used with permission.

Hanukkah Dreidels

NEW FOR HANUKKAH! Check out our Virtual Dreidel at SpinTheDreidel.com.

Dreidel is a derivative of a German word meaning “top” and the game is an adaptation of an old gambling game. Hanukkah was one of the few times of the year when rabbis permitted games of chance. The dreidel, therefore, was a natural candidate for Hanukkah entertainment.

The four sides of the top bear four Hebrew letters: nun, gimel, hei, and shin. Players would begin by “anteing” certain number of coins, nuts, or other objects. Each one in turn would then spin the dreidel and proceed as follows: nun (“nichts”) – take nothing; gimel (“ganz”) – take everything; hei (“halb”) – take half; shin (“shtell”) – put in.

The winner would often receive money (Hanukkah gelt). Over time, the gambling terms were reinterpreted to stand for the Hebrew phrase Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, “A great miracle happened there.” Thus, even an ordinary game of chance was invested with Jewish values and served to remind Jews of the important message of Hanukkah. Today, Jewish children throughout the world continue to enjoy the game of dreidel. In Israel, one letter on the dreidel has been changed. The shin has been replaced with a pei, transforming the Hebrew phrase into Nes Gadol Hayah Po. “A great miracle happened here.”

Excerpt fromThe Jewish Home. Used with permission.

Other Traditions: Gelt, Food, Menorah

Hanukkah Songs

Ma’oz Tzur • Mi Y’maleil
I Have a Little Dreidel • Oh Hanukkah

Ma’oz Tzur
Ma’oz Tzur, or “Rock of Ages,” is a traditional Hanukkah song that was composed by a man named Mordecia in Europe in the twelfth century. Both the Hebrew and English words can be sung with the traditional melody, though throughout the centuries a number of different tunes have been used to accompany Ma’oz Tzur.

Rock of Ages, let our song praise Your saving power.
You amid the raging throng were our sheltering tower.
Furious they assailed us, but Your help availed us.
And Your word broke their sword when our own strength failed us.

Mi Y’maleil

Who can retell the things that befell them,
Who can count them?
In every age, a hero or sage
came to our aid.
Hark! In days of yore
In Israel’s ancient land,
Brave Maccabeus led the faithful band.
But now all Israel must as one arise,
Redeem itself through deed and sacrifice.

I Have a Little Dreidel

I have a little dreidel,
I made it out of clay.
And when it’s dry and ready,
Oh dreidel I shall play.
(Chorus)
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I made it out of clay;
And when its dry and ready,
Then dreidel I shall play.
It has a lovely body,
With legs so short and thin.
And when it gets all tired,
It drops and then I win.
(Chorus)

Oh Hanukkah

Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah,
Come light the menorah.
Let’s have a party,
We’ll all dance the hora.
Gather round the table,
We’ll give you a treat.
S’vivon to play with,
Latkes to eat